Quest for a Cure for a Curse
by Kokoro Kakera HP
Summary: Anzu has become the unlucky recipient of a curse that renews every 24 hours. Cursed and suffering from unrequited love, Anzu tries to salvage the rest of her summer by finding a cure - for both her body and heart. AU Anzu x Y.Yugi/Yugi, Seto x Jounouchi
1. I Said Sorry

**01 : I Said Sorry...**

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP ^^**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
Trying out first person's perspective. This will be from Anzu's point of view. Takes place... just after the Doom series arc I guess.  
And for those of you who have read this before and are re-reading to refresh your memory, this and the following chapters until chapter seven, are re-edited versions. **

**Note:  
1 Canadian dollar = about 83 Yen  
1 American dollar = about 108 Yen **

**Anzu - Tea  
Jounouchi - Joey  
Honda - Tristen  
Ryou - Bakura  
Shizuka - Serenity**

*** * ***

The woes of unrequited love. Painful, annoying and always slapping me in the face whenever the guy I really like is around.

That is the result of me being friends with a nameless ancient Egyptian spirit of a pharaoh, who happens to possess my best friend Yugi's body at the present time. This spirit thankfully, is not hostile in any way (unless you mess with one of his friends or his host). He is really mysterious, kind, serious, has a thing for leather...

And he's really, really hot.

Which kind of makes up for all the life-death situations I go through frequently for him.

No one knows how long he's planning to stick around, but I'm guiltily hoping he will continue to inhabit Yugi's body at least until either:  
**A**: I actually gather enough courage to confess my passionate love for him and in an amazing twist of events, receive a equally powerful confession of love back, or  
**B**: the day I die.

Seeing as choice 'A' will never happen unless hell freezes over or something (sadly enough after considering everything else that has happened in my life so far, hell freezing over probably has more chances of occurring than hoped for love confession), I'm pretty much stuck with choice 'B'. Which actually is okay in a way, because with the way my life is going, I'll be six feet under before I reach my twentieth birthday which is only three years away.

And everyone calls me an optimist.

Sitting across from me is the object of my affections - or rather, the host of the object of my affections: Yugi Mutou. He's sweet, wonderful and really cute. He's also always been there for me, no matter what - the type of guy that all girls dream about.

And I have idiotically fallen for his other self, who has never shown anything but platonic interest in me. I must be a hardcore masochist.

"Anzu?" Yugi directs a grin in my direction. "You okay?"

"Huh?" I said intelligently. "What?" I blinked away my thought-clouded eyes.

"You lost!" Jounouchi sang. "Really pathetically too Anzu. How the heck were you able to beat that penguin guy with moves like those?"

Well, besides the fact that Yugi hadn't been around to distract me with his boyish good looks until near the end of the duel, I had been dead set against letting that pervert get my body. All the disgusting innuendos he'd made during our duel had given me a pretty good idea what he planned to do if he'd won. I bet everybody else's opponent hadn't been planning on molesting his or her body if he'd won it. I shuddered.

"That was different. I would have lost my body if I lost that game." I said. "By the way, where's Honda?"

"Out biking or something."

"Oh." I wonder where he went. I remember when Honda had first gotten his motorcycle, he'd allowed Yugi, Jounouchi and I to fawn over it, but straight out refused to give any of us a ride unless it was of the utmost important reason. "Gas is expensive, and I still haven't finished paying off this baby" was what he'd said.

"Oh!" Yugi stood up. "Jounouchi, you think you can go down to the back with me and carry up a few boxes? We have to restock a few items today."

"Sure, no problem." He got up.

"If any customers come looking for me, just tell them I'll be up in a second, k?" Yugi said.

"Sure." I chirped as they left. Idly, I tapped my fingers on the table, then stood up and stretched. Maybe some fresh air would be nice... I walked to the door and opened it, neglecting to look before doing so. This resulted in me crashing into the unsuspecting man trying to get into the place.

"Augh!" I heard the crash of some very expensive looking items as they made contact with the shop's floor. Who the heck carries around that much gold in plain sight!?

Shit.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" I gasped, bending down to pick up some of the dropped items. "I didn't see-"

"You bitch!" The man screamed, mouth opening so wide that I could see all six of his gold fillings at the back of his mouth. "You're still the same!" Spit combined with very dry, rotten smelling breath flew into my face and I tried not to make the situation worse by gagging.

"I really am so sorry." I said as sincerely as I could through my anger and disgust. And what did he mean by 'you're still the same'? I've never met him before! I looked longingly at the door leading to the back. Why was Yugi taking so long anyway!? I needed his adorable puppy-dog look to calm this guy down. I didn't want to be the cause of Yugi losing a potentially high-paying buyer, even if the guy totally deserved to be yelled at. Then again, I wouldn't mind if Jounouchi decided to grace us with his presence. He'd probably kick the guy's ass for me.

Me speaking again, even if it was to apologize, only served to make the spitting, smelly man angrier. "I curse you! Every day, the first card you touch!" He shrieked mindlessly, pointing a gold-ring adorned finger at me. Before I could ask him what he'd meant by it, the man actually lunged at me. I shrieked and held an arm above my head, closing my eyes reflexively. Ya, a fighter I am not.

I screamed. The man, grinning triumphantly at me only laughed at the immense pain I was suddenly in. He _bit _me! Oh my freaking- A wave of dizziness hit me and I wobbled unsteadily on my feet. Guh. I don't feel too good all of a sudden... Did the guy have rabies and just infect me with it? The wobble turned into a full-fledged sway and I found myself staring at the ceiling. A few lights hung from it, arranged neatly across the middle. The ceiling itself was slightly speckled with gray dots here and there with no particular pattern.

A minute later, a frantic-looking boy with spiky multicoloured hair replaced my stellar view of the ceiling.

"Y-yuuugi." I slurred dazedly. Hm. My speech seems to have been affected by whatever the guy did to me.

"Anzu! What happened? Are you okay!? I just came up and you were lying on the ground-" He was grabbing my shoulders now and babbling incoherently. I held back a delighted coo. Why is it that it's only during times of distress that Yugi decides to hold me?

"Eviiil finngerr...bite..." I said. The look he gave me assured me that he thought I'd taken a hard blow to the head.

"Um Anzu, why don't you stay where you are while I call the hospital and your parents?" Huh. It's not like I _can_ go anywhere in this state. I'm not even sure if anything besides my mouth is functional. I didn't want to be carted off to the hospital though, or give my parents a reason to worry. Maybe my condition wasn't even serious.

"No! Stay!" I blinked. The dizziness was gone. I felt fine. It was as if I'd been fine the whole time and I hadn't fallen over from disorientation a second ago. Maybe the guy had placed a two second 'mess with your head' spell on me so he could trash the place while I was down? I looked around to confirm this, but found that everything looked fine. Nothing was out of place or out of the ordinary. Even all the gold that had been dropped to the ground was gone without a trace. Weird. I guess that guy screwed up the curse then, or whatever he was trying to accomplish. Woo.

"Anzu, lie back down!" Yugi was at my side again and trying to push me back down. I blushed involuntarily. If only it was for a different reason that he was trying to get me horizontal...

"Y-yugi... I'm perfectly okay now." His grip tightened on me for a moment and I revelled in the feeling.

Wait. I told myself. This is your BEST FRIEND doing this. Not the guy you're actually in love with. You've got to differentiate between them, otherwise you're pretty much a two-timer. Afore mentioned feelings crept away guiltily.

He looked hesitant to let go. I don't blame him. I probably would have acted the same way if one of my friends had acted like a drugged lunatic. "You sure Anzu?"

"Ya..." I lifted up my arm to inspect the damage. "I just-" I stared at the skin. "Nothing..." I whispered. "Wha-" I turned my arm over and inspected the other side. "Nothing!"

"Anzu?" He was giving me that look again. The one that said, 'are you secretly a raving nutcase?'

"Yugi... some guy attacked me a second ago."

"What!? Where did he go? What did he do!?" He stood up, looking furious now.

"I don't know. I was out of it when he left, but..." I stood up slowly.

"Anzu!" It was Jounouchi who said my name this time. He emerged from the stairway leading to the basement. "What happened?" Two pairs of arms went on either side of me and hauled me up to my feet.

"Thanks." I brushed myself off and frowned as I checked my arm again. Nothing! No teeth marks, no spit, no nothing. Not that I was complaining. That guy had disgusting breath - it was like getting a whiff from a pit of garbage and sewage that had fermented for a few days. It was really freaking me out how there was no sign of his attack on me anymore though. I couldn't have just dreamt it...

"Sit down at least... I-I'll get you some tea." Yugi said shakily.

"Okay. Sure. Tea would be good." I murmured. I sat down at the table Jounouchi and I had been playing duel monsters on.

"What happened?" Jounouchi asked. "What'd that guy do to you?"

"He bit me." I said a little dazedly.

"H-he what!?" The blond bellowed, shooting up from his seat. The action sent his duel monsters card deck scattering all over the clean, white floor Yugi had just swept earlier.

"Might as well calm down. The guy's long gone." I said. "Uh, can we just talk about it later?" I didn't want to think about what had just happened. It didn't even seem real, especially with the way the man had just disappeared as if in thin air. I bent over to help Jounouchi gather up his cards, wanting an excuse not to talk about what had just happened. I looked at each card as I picked it up and mentally listed off the names of the cards I saw. Celtic Guardian... Red eyes black dragon... Jinzo... Mirror Force... "Ah! What's this? Harpy Lady?" I grinned and said teasingly, "a gift from your lady friend Mai?" To my utter surprise, Jounouchi just took the card from me, looking downcast.

"Ya." he said quietly. "As a friend." Ohhh... I'm such a bitch! I felt like kicking myself in the head. Not that I needed to after the bizarre hit I'd just taken. Without realizing it, I'd just bluntly mentioned a woman that apparently didn't share Jounouchi's feelings for her, if his reaction to her name was any indication. I thought she _did_ like him that way!

"Oh Jounouchi... I'm sorry." I put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ya well,' he shrugged my hand off, "what can ya do?"

"Ice cream at my house." I offered. There's always plenty - it's a fully stocked stash I always have ready for the more difficult times in my life. I figure it'll come in handy on the day Yugi's other half either leaves or rejects me. Whichever comes first. "And..." I swallowed; telling myself that a broken heart wasn't to be taken lightly and what I was about to do was for the greater good. "I'll forget about the money you owe me." I said with some difficulty. Six thousand yen! Aghhh!

Jounouchi's eyes widened. "You serious!?"

"Ya! So... cheer up!" So you can cheer ME up.

"Woah, thanks!" He'd better be thankful. On the other hand, Jounouchi being free means there's a chance he might hook up with Kaiba (this is not as impossible as it sounds): a scenario in which he'll have more than enough money to pay me back. "Uh Anzu?" Uh oh. He's giving me a weird look - quite similar to the one Yugi gave me earlier. "When's the last time you cut your nails?" ...What? I looked at them. Woah! Why are they so long all of a sudden!?

My stomach surprised me with an unhealthy feeling lurch. "I gotta go-" I dashed to the restroom at the back.

"Anz-" I rushed past Yugi and dove into the washroom, slamming and locking the door. "Anzu! Anzu?" His voice shouted behind the door. I wasn't in any condition to answer him. At the moment, I was dry heaving over a pristine, ivory white toilet, wondering why nothing was coming up. My knees sunk slightly into the tile cracks on the floor as I tried to puke up whatever was causing my insides so much distress.

"Ugh!" A fresh wave of pain assaulted me and I clutched my stomach tightly. A weird screeching noise escaped my mouth. Crap... my ears had become so sensitive that a small cry of pain sounded like a banshee's scream to me.

And suddenly, I felt just fine.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and frowned at the sudden roughness of my hand. I shut my eyes as I scrambled up, wondering why I felt so exposed all of a sudden.

That guy... whatever he'd done... it was making me get sick every few minutes for only a few minutes. Going to the hospital didn't sound like such a bothersome idea anymore.

"Anzu!?"

Yugi... Or at least that's what I wanted to say. All that left my mouth was another high-pitched screech. What's wrong with me?

I stood up and walked to the mirror hanging on the far right wall. I screeched again - on purpose this time - and watched the mirror with a fascinated horror. No way... there's was just no way-

A bewildered looking harpy lady stared back at me from the mirror.

*** * ***

**To be continued! **


	2. Harpy Lady on the Run

**02 : Harpy Lady on the Run (Had I Not Fallen)**

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP  
**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
I am definitely having fun poking mischief into this fic ^^  
Oh ya, and with the issue of Yugi and his other self's name... 'Yami' isn't the guy's name; the dub just made it that way. In the Japanese version, everyone just refers to him as 'Yugi' or 'the other Yugi.' For simplicity's sake, I'm arranging it so she will refer to the pharaoh as 'Yami.'**

* * *

_I stood up and walked to the mirror hanging on the far right wall. I screeched again - on purpose this time - and watched the mirror with a fascinated horror. No way... there's was just no way- _

_A bewildered looking harpy lady stared back at me from the mirror._

* * *

I'm a Harpy Lady. I'm a Harpy Lady. I. Am. A. Harpy. Lady.

Nope. No matter how many times I say it, I still can't believe it. I don't know why I'm having so much trouble. Weirder things have happened. For instance, how many times does one encounter a guy like Malik (his evil side), a guy who takes pleasure from the thought of ripping out a person's soul and has enough power to do it whenever he wants?

I think I'm in shock.

"Anzu! Open the door! Anzu! Answer me!" Oh ya... Yugi. The nuance of his voice sounds different. It must be the other Yugi making an attempt to get me to answer.

"I'm fine!" I called back. It came out sounding more like an unintelligible scream.

"Anzu!" He shouted even louder. Great. All I managed to do was make him even more worried. I guess screaming isn't exactly the way to comfort someone, even if it's the only freaking thing you can do.

"Anzu! Hey, what's wrong!?" It was Jounouchi this time.

"I tried calling to her, but all she did was scream."

"I'll break the door open then!"

Crap! I panicked and without thinking, blindly kicked at the wall behind me. Then I watched, wide-eyed as the structure immediately broke down. Oops. I doubt this'll do much for the relationship I'm trying to pursue with the other Yugi in the long run. In fact, it may as well be one of the factors that repel him from me. That and the fact that I'm a Harpy Lady. Confessing anything was impossible now. Even if I could figure out a way to talk, I couldn't imagine that there would be a happy ending waiting for mes. I could pretty much see how it would go:

* * *

_**Me:**__ Yugi... the truth is, that all this time I've been deeply in love with you. _

_**Yugi:**__ Oh. ...Sorry. But, I'm kind of into people, if you know what I mean. _

_**Me:**__ (Sadly) Oh. Well, that's okay. Makes sense I guess. By the way, about your game shop's wall that was broken a few days ago? That was me. _

_**Yugi:**__ I knew those bad feelings I got around you weren't just a mixture of fear and paranoia induced by your new appearance._

* * *

I shuddered.

The door rattled threateningly and spurred by the daydream from hell I'd just had, I did the only thing I could. I opened the wings attached to my abnormally long and white arms and took off.

* * *

Maybe it was the hot air from summer, the lack of wind, or the fact that I've never been a Harpy Lady before. Or maybe I'm just an idiot. The fact is I TRIED to fly, but I found that I couldn't quite leave the ground. In other words the second I jumped, fully expecting to be happily soaring high above the city without a single care, I fell flat on my face.

Mai would be so disappointed with me for making such a fool out of her favourite duel monster like that.

So after falling, I'd picked myself up along with the remains of my tattered dignity and just ran - which isn't easy to do with bird feet. In fact, trying to run led to the second time I fell flat on my face. My abnormally long toe-talon things got in the way a lot and I unwillingly smooched the ground a few more times before realizing that

**A**: I looked like a moron, getting up just to flop back down right away and  
**B**: Yugi and Jounouchi had already bypassed the door and were staring at me with their jaws agape.

So much for my quick getaway.

Yugi regained his composure first. "Who are you?" He demanded. "And where's Anzu?"

I opened my mouth and promptly closed it again. There was just no point. All I'd end up doing is screaming. Instead, I concentrated on getting back on my feet.

Jounouchi stepped forward, looking very hostile as I slowly got up. "Are you the one who-" I stood upright and Jounouchi choked in mid sentence. I frowned. What? Yugi looked disgruntled as well. What were they staring at? I followed the path of their eyes and...

Ugh, men!

They were ogling my costume! Or lack of anyway. I cursed the weirdo who'd designed the Harpy Lady's outfit - a blue one piece: pants that were very low on my hips, held up by a pair of narrow suspenders that only covered anything vertically in line with the center of my exceptionally large breasts. Said enormous breasts were currently being observed very intensely by two of my best friends.

I let out a screech of anger and folded my arms so that my chest was completely covered. This seemed to wake them up - if the sudden simultaneous bouts of uncomfortable coughing were any indication.

"Where's Anzu?" Yugi demanded angrily once more. I sighed. Then pointed at myself.

"Oh my god! She ate her! I don't know why Mai likes those things so much! They're so vicious and-" Idiot. I glared at Jounouchi, shaking my head and very deliberately, jerked my pointer-talon at myself again, stomping in frustration. Me! I'm Anzu! ME!!!

Both boys blinked.

I held back a shriek of annoyance and got down on the ground. I flipped my 'hand' so that my palm was facing up and my claws stretched out. Both boys tensed. Instead of shredding the two as they'd expected though, I grimaced as I bent down and with my dangerously sharp nails began to write a message in the dirt. When I was finished, I took a few steps back so that Yugi and Jounouchi would come forward to read it.

Yugi was the first one to take a step toward the message.

"Woah, hold on there!" Jounouchi grabbed his arm. "How do you know it's not a trap?"

"Yugi tells me that he trusts her. I trust his judgment." Jounouchi let go of him then and he was able to make the rest of the walk.

I held my breath as he looked over the writing, while Jounouchi glared at me distrustfully behind him. Yugi blinked, looked at me, blinked again and stared, this time at my face.

"...Anzu?"

YES! I gave a squeal of joy and ran to him, fully intending on wrapping my long, scary, pale arms around him in a great, big hug. In reality, all I did was trip on my big bird feet and fall on my face.

* * *

"How the hell did this happen!?" Jounouchi, after being convinced of my identity, demanded. I shook my head and shrugged. Actually, I'm pretty sure that the gold-obsessed, bad breathed, rotund man who bit me was to blame for this, but didn't feel like going through the trouble of finding a way to say that.

The three of us were sitting upstairs the game shop in Yugi's room. Jounouchi was on a chair, Yugi also on a chair, and I was comfortably settled on Yugi's bed. I honestly did get weird thoughts about sitting where I was, but not the type I expected.

I wanted to make a nest. I twitched as I ignored this impulse, just as I ignored the bed sheets, the various clothes hung up in his closet and everything else that looked like prime nest-making material. I need help.

"Why don't we focus more on how to turn her back?" Yugi said seriously, thankfully distracting me from my bizarre train of thought.

"Is that possible?" Jounouchi asked. Um, not making me feel better here, Jou!

"Of course there is." Yugi said sternly. "This can't be permanent. It would take far too much power."

One of the reasons I love the other Yugi so much is that he's always had a knack for making me feel safe, even in the most perilous of situations.

"Unless the energy for this spell is being derived from Anzu, in which case it'll last until you die of exhaustion." He said grimly.

And this is not one of those times.

"But I doubt that's the case." He said quickly, noticing my alarmed expression.

Good save. Not.

* * *

**To be continued! **


	3. A Friendly Chat in Romantic Conditions

**03 : A Friendly Chat in Romantic Conditions**

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP ^^**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
X_X Still pushing the story forward...angsting at the end! Oh, and a side note to anyone who wasn't clear on this: Anzu looks 100% Harpy Lady. There is no way anyone would be able to recognize her just by looking at her.  
Plus, if it wasn't clear already, this is going to be an AU. **

**Italicized words encased by square brackets indicates telepathically communicated thoughts.  
eg. **_[Hello.]_

* * *

_One of the reasons why I love the other Yugi so much is that he's always had a knack for making me feel safe, even in the most perilous of situations. _

_"Unless the energy for this spell is being derived from Anzu, in which case it'll last until you die of exhaustion." _

_And this is not one of those times. _

_"But I doubt that's the case." He said quickly, noticing my alarmed expression. _

_Good save. Not._

* * *

Six o'clock and still, we had no idea what to do.

Jounouchi had gotten permission to stick around for a sleep over at Yugi's house. At the same time, Yugi had called my parents to tell them that I'd be staying over at his place with a few friends for a sleepover. That sounded much better than him saying that I'd be staying overnight at his place with him and another boy.

I had hidden in the closet when his grandpa came into the room and cheerfully commented on how often Jounouchi was over. Yugi informed him that I would be coming by later as well.

"Okay, now that everyone's- um... Anzu, what exactly are you doing?" Yugi asked curiously. The other Yugi, saying that he'd think about my predicament, had retreated back into the puzzle a while ago. Jounouchi stared as well, looking at me like I was a weirdo.

I froze, still clutching the bed sheet I'd been in the process of twisting around myself in a nest-like shape.

_[Oh nothing much. Just making a nest. Can I borrow some of your clothes?]_ That's what I was thinking anyway.

Yugi's eyes widened. "O-okay, sure!" He stumbled up, running to his closet and grabbed a few shirts. Looking bewildered, but extremely pleased, he handed them to me. "Anzu, this is great!" Nearby, Jounouchi looked like he was choking on something.

What's great?

_[Thanks.]_ I thought, as I took the shirts from him and nonchalantly added it to my project, securing the sheet and shirts in a strong, circular wall around me. I felt sleepy already, just looking at the cozy structure I'd just created. Then I nearly fell off the bed. _[You can hear me?]_ I gaped at Yugi in shock. Both he and Jounouchi nodded, looking as dumbfounded as I felt.

I didn't know that Harpy Ladies were telepathic, but it was certainly helpful. Thankfully it seemed that my deeper thoughts were apparently otherwise unheard by anyone but myself. It must have been the fact that I'd sent the thoughts about my nest material with the half-hearted intention of being heard.

"Hey, it's easier to believe that you're Anzu now." Jounouchi commented cheekily. "That squeaky, little voice of yours is back, even if it's just in our heads."

_[Haha, anymore comments like that and I'll eat you.]_ I grinned evilly, which resulted in both boys shrinking back. Oops. Have no idea how scary I look when I do that in this body, but have a good feeling that I shouldn't do it again.

"You know you have a lot of teeth now?" Yugi said fearfully. "Really, really SHARP teeth?"

_[Won't use them on you, promise.]_

"That's all we needed to hear." Jounouchi said, looking relieved.

* * *

Eleven o'clock and we still had no idea what to do. There was no word from Yugi's other self either.

_[Why don't we try tomorrow?] _I asked tiredly. _[I don't think we'll be able to do anything now anyway.]_

"Sounds good." Jounouchi stretched and made a big show of yawning.

"I guess so." Yugi looked hesitant to get ready for bed.

_  
[No worries Yugi. I feel fine. I don't think my energy's getting 'sucked out' for the curse.]_ I smiled in an attempt to reassure him and he flinched. Um, sorry? He must have noticed my hurt look, because Yugi immediately tried to console me.

"It wasn't you! I was just..."

_[It's okay. I know how scary I look.]_ I sighed glumly and in an attempt to distract myself, I shifted around in my nest in preparation for slumber. There was a small curve along one of the edges that needed to be filled. Hnn... I eyed the pretty blue jacket hanging on the back of Jounouchi's chair. _[Jounouchi, can I-_]

"It's the only summer jacket I have and no offense, but those nails..."

_[Fine.]_ I pouted, as I settled for what I had and curled up to sleep. Ooo... My feathers were really soft. I wouldn't be hard to drift off like this. I ignored the curious looks I knew were on me and shut my eyes.

The last thing I could remember was the light going off and hearing two simultaneous 'goodnights' from my friends.

* * *

"Mmnn..." I blinked sleepily and winced when a flood of white light hit my eyes. They were sensitive from being closed so long. I stretched and winced at all the popping noises that ensued. I realized the light that had irritated my eyes earlier was the moon shining through the window. The completely full, floating ball of white was strangely breathtaking to behold. I sighed wistfully as a feeling I'm well acquainted with unfolded in the pit of my belly.

For reasons I can't fathom, I'm feeling lonesome.

It is...I groaned quietly. Two-forty a.m. Carefully, I got up and crept around Yugi and Jounouchi's sprawled bodies, praying that my enormous bird feet and claws wouldn't knick anyone as I went by. Ya, powerful friendship (strengthened by our life-threatening trials together) or not, I doubt it'd do much for me if Yugi and Jounouchi woke up with their faces cut up like sushi.

I wonder if I can file my claws.

I exhaled with relief when I finally reached the door. I turned again, just to make sure everyone was still asleep and groaned. Yugi had kicked off his blanket in his sleep. Just ignore it. Yugi'll be fine. Just...

I trekked back awkwardly and gently placed the blanket over him again. Yugi... He looked so cute in his sleep. His face was completely devoid of the many lines that usually creased his face while he was awake. They were from the many hardships he'd gone through.

I unconsciously reached over and touched his smooth, soft forehead. If only he could have stayed the worry-free boy he was before. Those lines, had no place on this face... A lot of those lines belonged to the other Yugi. I leaned in a little closer. I want to take them away. I want to see **him** smile honestly and constantly like this Yugi did. I want...

"Hnm-" I jerked back, when I realized what I had almost done. Guh. Kissed by a harpy. I bet that would have given Yugi nightmares to last him the rest of his life. Unless of course, he thought about experience in terms of breasts - in which case I guess he'd thank me for a long time.

I hefted myself back up and I cautiously crept back to the door. I looked back once more, only to catch Yugi kicking off his blanket again. Argh! Fine, be cold! I'm not going back again! I huffed angrily and carefully walked out and down the stairs, making sure that Yugi's grandpa wasn't anywhere in sight.

Finding the coast completely clear, I unlocked the back door and snuck outside.

* * *

It's a really nice night. The air is warm because it's summer and small breezes flitter by once in a while, so I don't feel too hot. Cicadas sang from time to time and like tiny mobile lanterns, fireflies floated around me. The setting I'm in is perfect for a romantic date.

If only I were here with a certain spirit... Envisioning someone special sitting next to me, I stared dreamily at the moon. Speaking of large, round, white objects... I looked down at my chest. Curiously, I brought my hands up to lightly hold the enormous globes hanging from my chest. Hn. They feel real. Soft and they kinda bounce. Well, it's not like duel monsters can specify if one of their creatures had boob jobs. That'd kinda be weird I guess.

"It's a nice night, isn't it?"

_[Argh!]_ I jerked my hands away and down at my sides.

"Anzu?"

_[Yugi?]_ My blood is rushing like crazy and I feel faint. Shiiit. Did he see me? It's not like I have anything to be guilty about, I was just curious as to if all of me was natural...

But he's not going to believe that!

"Anzu, are you okay?" I nearly died because I was so relieved. He hadn't seen me! Well, I think he didn't. He doesn't look offended, only curious.

_[Yugi?]_ I frowned as he came closer. Slanted eyes that I've often dreamt about... _[No, you're the other Yugi.]_

"Ah. Yugi's sleeping right now."

_[You should be too.]_ I looked up at the sky forlornly. [_And before you say anything, I can't sleep. I don't think I need to when I'm like this.]_

"Harpies do need sleep. You're up because something's bothering you." His voice was rich, and I could feel my insides heat up almost obediently, listening to it. Maybe I'm mixing up lust for love? It couldn't be though. Otherwise, I'd have thought myself in love with a lot of people before and I know that isn't true. This feeling...is different.

_[Why are you up?]_ I tried changing the subject.

He grinned. "I was cold because Yugi kicked off his blanket again and..." The grin disappeared. "I was worried because you weren't where I thought you were." My heart thumped hard. To hear him say something like that...

[_You didn't have to worry. I'm just outside the house. And I can slice up any creep that tries to attack me now.]_

A short chuckle escaped his lips. "So you've learned how to use your feet now?" I flushed, remembering my earliest attempts at flying and running. I decided not to comment. How embarrassing! He must think of me as an idiot! I mean, what kind of moron can't fly when they have wings???

Apparently me.

"Anzu." His voice pulled me from my self-berating thoughts. Uh oh. He has that serious look in his eyes. He wants to talk. I know it. But I don't **want** to talk about my current problem. Not right now. I came out here to forget about it because I couldn't sleep it off. His lips parted. Nonono, don't you dar- "What's wrong?"

Tthhpp! I blew a mental raspberry at him. _[I'm pretty sure that's obvious.]_ I thought dryly.

"I'm not talking about this." He gestured at me. "Something else is on your mind."

Well actually, there's something I really do want to know. It's also the perfect topic to use to throw him off. [_...what do I call you?]_ He looked taken aback by this.

"Yugi."

_[No.]_ I said gently. _[That's my best friend's name.]_

His brow became furrowed. "You wish to call me something else? You've always referred to me as 'Yugi' or 'the other Yugi'. Why do you want something different now?"

_[It's not fair to both of you. It's confusing and...]_ I trailed off. _[__I need something more to differentiate between both of you. I can't keep thinking of you two as one person.]_

"...Nameless pharaoh is what most people tend to be calling me these days." He said quietly.

_[That's even worse.]_ I wrinkled my nose. _[Isn't there something you've wanted to be referred to as?]_

There was a small moment of silence. I waited patiently.

"...Yami then. It's fitting for my existence."

_['Darkness'? Is that really-]_

"Yes." A flicker of a smile appeared on his face. "And don't think I didn't notice. You tried to evade my first question with this one."

Geh. He saw right through me!

_[What makes you think that?]_ I turned a little away from him and acted oblivious.

"Anzu." I looked back. I can't ignore him when his voice is like that.

_[Look... I-I just... don't want to talk about this, okay? I...]_ I sagged a little. _[I'm tired, but I can't sleep. That's all.]_

A slightly calloused hand lightly rested on my very white shoulder. I think I'm shaking.

"I'm here for you. I always will be."

Will you? My heart thumped sadly. I want you to be with me forever. But this wasn't what I let him hear.

_[Thank you...Yami.]_ The new term sounded strange in my head. It had been a whispered thought, but he heard it. I knew because his grip on my shoulder tightened in acknowledgement.

"Anzu." He was looking straight into my eyes now. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

I froze.

_I love y-_

But if I said it, nothing would be the same. If he knew...

_Don't leave me._

I never want that to happen.

So I just smiled and told him I'd be fine.

* * *

**To be continued! **


	4. Truth Hurts

**04 : Truth Hurts**

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP **

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
Thank you so much for your reviews! ::beams:: **

* * *

_I love y- _

_But if I said it, nothing would be the same- If he knew..._

_Don't leave me. _

_I never want that to happen. _

_So I just smiled and told him I'd be fine._

* * *

"So what do you feel like having for breakfast?" Yugi asked me. He was standing by the door, getting ready to go downstairs to generously make breakfast as well as bring it up for both Jounouchi and me. He looked absolutely adorable in his slightly rumpled clothes from yesterday. We'd all been too preoccupied with my little problem to change for bed the night before – though it wasn't like I _could_ change my outfit in this state - and had slept in whatever we'd been wearing for the day. It wasn't exactly sanitary, but I doubted a few germs could do anything after all I've been through.

_[Not eggs.]_ I thought quickly.

"I'll have hers." Jounouchi piped. "And the rest... surprise us."

I am extremely grateful for the fact that I can speak telepathically. Morning breath is sick and I'm pretty sure that any toothbrush that went into my mouth with all it's sharp, pointy teeth, would come back out in pieces.

"K!" Yugi walked out the door, yawning. "Jeez, why am I so tired?"

I shrunk down a little, fully aware that I was to blame for his fatigue. It wasn't like I **forced** 'Yami' - I rolled the new name around in my head a few more times - to stay up for a good hour or so in the middle of the night to chat with me. That's right, he actually **stuck around** after I told him I was fine. This only served to do two things:  
**A**: make me fall even more in love with him if that was possible and  
**B**: curse a thousand times the fact that I'm a harpy and now absolutely can't say how I feel about him.

The only thing I can take solace in is the pathetic hope that when Yami - I rolled the name around my head again because I couldn't help myself - talks about his great fondness for the 'heart of the cards' this also includes the 'heart of the harpy.'

"So..." Jounouchi, looking nervous, approached me and sat next to me on Yugi's bed.

Aww, the sweetie is trying to make conversation to make me feel better.

Too bad he couldn't think of something to add to that 'so..' he started out with.

_[What time is it?]_ He perked up a little, seemingly glad that I'd given him something to say.

"Around eleven. Best part of summer is sleeping in, right?"

_[Isn't it?]_ I agreed. Well, now it is. I doubt that I can play Dance Dance Revolution like this.

"You don't look that bad you know." Jounouchi said, noticing my downcast look. "Minus the creepy hands and feet, you're kinda pretty."

_[Thanks.__]_ I thought-spoke quietly. _[You're a real friend for saying that.]_

"No really, I-"

"Hey guys!" The door slammed open and both Jounouchi and I jumped. Honda walked in, surveying the room and his eyes rested on me with barely contained shock. "Woah, who's the freaky looking cosplay chick?"

Behind Honda, who'd just burst in, Yugi groaned and put his head in his heads.

* * *

"Sorry!" Honda had his hands clasped in front of him and head bowed down to the ground. "I really, really didn't mean it!"

_[Of course you didn't.]_ I said sourly. _[I'm a harpy. I have freaky arms, bird feet for hands and a stripper's outfit. When you said freaky, you meant lovely.]_ At this point, I was abusing my ability to use sarcasm.

Yugi and Jounouchi had gone downstairs to finish preparing breakfast. Actually, Yugi was finishing the preparation and Jounouchi was just down there so he wouldn't have to be up here with Honda and I.

He hates awkward situations.

"Hey, it's not so bad..." Honda said. He, rather hesitantly since he was still freaked out, put a hand on my now very white shoulder.

I give him points for having guts. I mean, if I saw one of my friends metamorphose into a monster, I'd probably have an even harder time touching them if at all. But then again, the ridiculously large breasts I have in this new form had probably spurred him on.

_[Not so bad? Everyone's looking at me like I'm a freak!]_

"W-well... it's only temporary, right?" I went silent. I wasn't so sure. All I remember, was seeing the really pissed off gold-toting man point something at me while yelling, _"I curse you! Every day, the first card you touch!"_ Which hadn't made sense at the time, but I really got it now. Too well in fact.

_[I don't know.]_ Can harpies cry? I sure wanted to at that moment.

"Hey, hey, hey, look at the bright side!" What a friend. I felt fuzzy warmth (totally platonic) fill me because I was so touched at his efforts to make me feel better. I'll have to bake cookies or something for him later.

Ha! Harpy baking cookies. Imagine that. I think I made myself feel a little worse somehow.

_[The bright side?]_

"Um... your skin! It's really... smooth! The kind girls would die for you know?"

_[Honda-]_

"Your hair is really red and silky!"

_[Honda-]_

"And your figure is really... uh, hour glassy!"

_[Er, Honda-]_

"And out of all the women I've had the pleasure of checking out, you've got the biggest-"

_[Finish that sentence and I shall sick myself on you.]_

"Shutting up."

_[Where were you yesterday anyway? Yugi told me that you were out riding or something, but you wouldn't have skipped out on us just to do that. You love free food.]_

"Um, well..." Honda looked sheepish, and I noticed that he'd missed my teasing attempt completely. Woah, what HAD he been doing anyway? "Well, as long as you don't tell Jounouchi, the truth is..." His voice lowered. "I secretly went to see Shizuka, you know, to ask her out? But she wasn't at home-"

"I knew it, bastard!" Jounouchi burst into the room and tackled him.

"Um... breakfast is ready." Yugi, despite looking pained, said as cheerfully as he could.

_[You were eavesdropping with Jounouchi, weren't you?]_ I demanded.

"Heh, gotta-go!" I hurriedly moved to follow him, but in my haste, forgot to untangle my feet from his bed sheets.

I ended up falling over and smashing Jounouchi and Honda.

* * *

"You know Anzu, you still haven't told us what really happened between you and that mysteriously disappearing guy." Jounouchi said, nicely recovered from one hundred and something pounds of harpy crushing him.

The breakfast Yugi made had been great.

"That sounds like a cool story," Honda commented, also looking all right after the ordeal. "...in a totally bad way that I think is horrible." He finished when he noticed my dark look.

"Why don't you tell us about it?" Yugi asked. "It might help the other me figure out how to help you."

_[That's a good idea.]_ I pursed my lips in thought. _[__Well, it was when Jounouchi and Yugi were getting stocks from downstairs... I wanted to go out for a second because I was bored and when I opened the door, I kinda hit customer.]_ Yugi winced at this. _[The guy I hit ended up dropping all of the gold he'd been holding all the time-]_

"Woah, woah, woah, back up. Did you say GOLD? As in that shiny metal stuff that's worth a lot?" Honda gaped. I forced down the urge to roll my eyes.

_[No Honda, I meant the other type of gold that doesn't fit any of your descriptions.]_ I said sarcastically.

"So what happened next?" Yugi said quickly, as Honda glared at me.

_[The guy got really mad. He started swearing and screaming at me and for some reason, at one point, he yelled 'you're still the same!' which is weird because I've never met him before.]_

"That's kinda creepy. What if he's a stalker?" Jounouchi looked freaked out.

_[I don't think so. Stalkers tend to have other purposes in their minds when they come face to face with the one they're obsessed with.]_ I shivered. _[__No, this guy just plain hated me.]_

"And then what happened?"

_[He pointed at me and yelled __**'I curse you! Every day, the first card you touch!'**__ Then...urg... he BIT me._]

"What? That bastard!" Honda jumped up.

"Been there, done that." Jounouchi said grabbing Honda's shirttail and pulling him back down to sit. "Then?" He leaned in my direction, wanting to hear the rest.

_[The rest is pretty much a blur.]_

I glanced at the clock. Three. I sighed. _[What are we going to-]_ my eyes widened when a strange feeling shot through me. I gagged and toppled off the bed onto the floor.

Ow.

"Anzu! What's-"

I shut my eyes as wave after wave of dizziness rolled over me. It was like spinning in the dark and I felt like puking up my guts and anything else I had inside me. Vaguely, I heard the surprised cries of my friends in the background as all this happened.

And then as quickly as the strange nausea had come, it disappeared. Snap, just like that.

"It's a miracle!" That was the first thing I heard.

"Anzu? You okay?" I nodded slowly, wondering if I really was okay.

"I think so..."

"Can you get up?"

I automatically reached out for a helping hand and froze.

"Hands!" I touched my mouth. "I have a voice again!"

"Pwuah, we're as happy as you are, Anzu..." Jounouchi said as Honda turned away and Yugi looked embarrassed. "But maybe now's a good time to be making use of your old buddy the toothbrush."

I don't think I've ever turned as red as I did right then. I think I also made the record for fastest six-meter sprint.

* * *

The bells attached to the front door of the game shop rang merrily as someone entered. I heard Yugi and the boys jog downstairs to greet the visitor and hurried out of the washroom to join them.

The last thing I expected to see when I arrived was the very man who had cursed me.

"YOU!" I yelped, pointing at him. I shakily grabbed some of the fabric of Yugi's jacket. "He's the one who cursed me!"

"What!?" Everyone immediately took up guarded stances.

"Ah, it's a pleasure to finally meet you pharaoh." The man grinned, revealing some of his gold fillings. He was still heavily laden with gold – bands, rings, necklaces and trinkets. It seemed that there wasn't any part of him that didn't have gold.

"How do you know about me?" Yugi- no, Yami now, asked. He was glaring fiercely at him and had stepped in front of me.

"I was a humble servant of yours." He bowed mockingly and I saw Jounouchi and Honda stifle snickers at the awkward motion. He kinda looked like one of those blow up clowns that you punch, attempting to bend in half. It wasn't pretty since this motion required all the fat he was displacing so he could bow, to move into other areas. "I don't expect you to remember me - a lowly servant in comparison perhaps, of the thousands you had."

Is anyone else sensing an 'I want revenge for what you did to me in the past that you can't remember and maybe had no conscious part in' aura? Having been around and possessed by Malik, I knew this feeling well.

"What do you want?" Yami demanded. "And why did you curse Anzu?"

"One question at a time pharaoh! Although, both questions can be answered with one response." He looked curiously at Yami and me, as if perplexed by our positions. Instead of commenting on this though, he pointed at me menacingly. I took a small step back, intimidated by the fat, sausage-like finger extended towards me. I could see Yami's body tense up. The man was actually trembling with what seemed like tightly contained anger. I shuffled so I was out of the pointer's range, remembering what happened the last time it was directed at me.

Pointed fingers are now on my list of dangerous things. I think I'll put it just below deranged psychos with sharp metal objects and just above chucked duel monsters cards. I'm not kidding about that last thing I mentioned. If someone throws a duel monsters card at you and you're not sure if you can catch it, DUCK. Otherwise, you might find yourself in need of a band-aid.

"That girl," he spat, "is the one responsible for my death in a past life."

Huh. Wow. Me? Did that? Kill someone? I had a past life? In Yami's time too! How?

I'm no good at taking big news.

And why is he so mad at Yami then if I'm the one who killed him?

"What? Anzu would never do a thing like that!!!" Jounouchi yelled.

He ignored him. "It's your fault Pharaoh! I want compensation for the waste of my life! Had you not given her to me as a gift for my lifelong service to you, then my death wouldn't have occurred!"

The room suddenly went silent.

Oh my- Oh my freaking-

"What!?" I shrieked. I suddenly feel very sick. Sick and really, really disgusted. And most of all betrayed. I can only see the back of Yami's head, but I consider that a good thing right now. Maybe what that guy just said is all just a lie - a malicious, despicable one at that.

The man grinned, eyes darting between Yami and I. He'd noticed the sudden tension in the air and read my stricken expression. I had no idea what Yami looked like at the moment.

More importantly though, that guy knew. Knew about my feelings for the three thousand year old spirit and what he had the power to do right then. And he wasn't the least bit afraid of using that devastating weapon to its fullest potential.

"I suppose a detailed explanation would be nice, wouldn't it my dear?" He purred. That horrible smile was still on his face. "Not that many words are needed it seems. He doesn't treat you the way you want him to, does he?" I stiffened. He'd struck a painfully tight cord within me. "Well maybe I can give you a reason for that." He continued idly.

I'm too shocked to do anything but stare dumbly at him. Considering what I heard next, it would have been better had I covered my ears and ignored him.

"The pharaoh, as a reward for my lifetime of service to him as a loyal subject, simply picked out one of the slaves he had about the palace and presented her to me as a wonderful, pretty little plaything. That was you." I could feel a hard lump form in my throat and prickles at the corners of my eyes. "You were nothing but a worthless, annoying whore to him then and if he had his memory, you'd be nothing but that now, if that isn't his present opinion already!"

My heart, which up until now had been squeezed like an old chew toy in a vicious animal's jaws, was now wrenched into pieces. It was as if hundreds of different hands had just grabbed a small part of that particular organ and pinched before slowly yanking it apart. I wanted to crawl somewhere dark and bawl.

"I-it's not true..." I whimpered, stumbling back. "H-he wouldn't-"

"Anzu!" Yami's hand closed around my wrist to keep me from going any further. I averted my eyes from his, unable to face him.

"He did." His words were like salt being ground into the wide-open emotional cuts he'd inflicted upon me earlier. He grinned at Yami, pleasure distinctly in his features. "You must have known what she was like, having given her to me so eagerly. You couldn't get her off your hands quickly enough!"

Only silence followed that comment.

He isn't denying it. He isn't denying it. My head spun, but this time it wasn't the affect of some stupid curse. It was the all-too quickly pounding of my hollow heart shoving blood through my veins at a frantic pace to ignore the emptiness that was suddenly there.

Something hit the ground.

Oh, something's leaking. I thought stupidly for a second, staring at the small splatter of water just sitting on the ground. My face is wet because of it- I touched my cheeks and realized that my eyes were responsible.

"The truth isn't always wonderful." The man I'd long forgotten about said. "It's too bad you let yourself believe something nice for such a long time before you heard the truth." His voice was completely devoid of sympathy. The sick bastard was enjoying the fact that he'd just screwed up my world. He saluted mockingly to Yami - I still couldn't look at him - and disappeared. Woosh, just like that.

Nobody stopped him. Nobody had even been paying him any attention.

"Anzu." I froze. Yami.

He was still holding onto my wrist.

I felt weird. It was so hard to just turn my head a few inches to look at him. I did so, sluggishly and my eyes fell on his slipper-clad feet. Slowly, my gaze inched up, long, tight-fitting black leather pants, loose black tank top under a blue jacket, wrinkled because I'd used it as part of my nest the night before. A strong mouth- I stopped there because I wasn't brave enough to look at his eyes.

I know I shouldn't be making such a big fuss over something dumb like this. It was something he did in the past, a past that he couldn't even remember. He wouldn't be like that now. He wouldn't... He doesn't think of me that way. He can't...

Honda and Jounouchi were at the side, looking helpless in the face of a mess that they couldn't just solve with a duel or fists.

"Anzu, I-" His mouth moved and I saw his feet take a hesitant step in my direction.

The soft 'tap' of his foot on the white floor was like the sound of a bullet in a completely silent hall.

"W-whatever, it's nothing, right?" I burst out and forced a laugh that sounded more like a sob. "You can't even remember doing it, so it's not like you really did it." My feet began to move by themselves, but I couldn't go more than a few feet because Yami wouldn't let go of me.

"Anzu-" He tried again.

"So what if you didn't care much for me then? It's not like you really knew me. How could you have? One slave in thousands- that would have been weird you know? You were a great pharaoh and, and..." I'm babbling. I don't know what else to do or say. What could I say at a time like this? I'm hurting! I just want to be away from here, away from him, but he won't let me! Why won't he? All he's doing is torturing me! "And I know you don't think I'm a whore and, and-" I'm sobbing hard now and my voice is just a pathetic tiny whine, but I can't stop talking. Jounouchi and Honda are still frozen where they are, but they look terrified. Must be because I'm acting like a hysterical lunatic. I'm having a meltdown. I don't have an off button though. "And worthless? Well, maybe a few people think that, since I can't do much sometimes... but-"

But I couldn't console myself. I couldn't get myself to believe that _of course_ Yami didn't think of me that way because I've always thought that there _had_ to be a reason why he didn't return my feelings for him. And maybe I've just found it. I shut my eyes and used my free hand to shove him back. Taken off guard by it, he finally released me and I scuttled backwards until I reached the door.

"Anzu! Wait, I-" Yami started for me, but I was already out and running as fast as I could. "Anzu! Come back!" He yelled. I uncharacteristically just ignored him. Even as I detected the sound of rapid footfalls behind me, I hardly worried about being caught.

Sunny and dry streets are under my feet. He won't catch me. He can't. My legs are longer than his and well, the fact is...

He doesn't really care about me.

* * *

**To be continued! **


	5. Shadi, The Messenger of Doom

**05 : Shadi, The Messenger of Doom**

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP **

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
X_X Finally finished directing the school play! Another chapter has finally arrived! Let's hope I can keep the ball rolling!**

* * *

_"Anzu! Wait, I-" Yami started for me, but I was already out and running as fast as I could. "Anzu! Come back!" _

_Sunny and dry streets were under my feet. He wouldn't catch me. He couldn't. My legs are longer than his and well, the fact is... _

_He doesn't really care about me._

* * *

Tears distorted my vision as I sped through the crowded sidewalk of Domino city. The disgruntled and shocked faces of the people walking through the streets seemed almost sinister and accusing as I pushed past them. Everyone and everything around me blurred together and formed a large clump of mouths, faces, clothes and concrete that murmured unintelligibly.

"Anzu!" I faintly heard a voice in the background, but I shook my head and ignored the call.

Something between Yami and I...it wouldn't have worked anyway.

I hiccupped roughly.

I'm always the girl just standing at the side watching helplessly as her friends struggle through one calamity after another. I've never been much help. All I've ever done for Yami, as far as I could recall, was make more trouble. A convenient hostage for enemies. My shameful position in the group hadn't escaped me, but I hadn't wanted to admit my ever-present role as the 'damsel in distress.'

_"Anzu."_ I saw Yami's image within my mind. My heart lurched.

_I never want to leave your side._

Another pained sob escaped my lips and I stopped running, feeling the strength suddenly gone from my legs.

Why didn't he just tell me then? Why hadn't he just said it? If he'd made it clear from the start that he didn't want me around, then I wouldn't be heartbroken right now!

_I love you. I just wanted... _

My head's pounding too much, too hard... I can't-

The ground and sky teetered and rolled upside down and side to side. Everything went black.

* * *

_Floating. I am floating in the middle of nowhere. There's nothing above, below or around me. It's all white. I shut my eyes and brought my knees to my face, holding them tightly and close to my body. It's quiet, and there's nobody else here. Maybe I can stay here forever. _

_"Mazaki Anzu." _

_I looked up dully. It was a familiar looking man in a turban and long white robes. I'd only seen him a few times before though and the only reason I know his name is because Yugi mentions it once every while. _

_"Shadi." I whispered. "Are you here to collect my soul?" _

_The man looked taken aback. "Uh... no." He said quickly, sounding uncharacteristically daunted and a little less all-knowing than usual. "That's not my field of expertise." _

_"Oh? You just take lives and someone else takes the soul?" _

_"I haven't taken a single life." He said stiffly. _

_"Just endanger them?" I asked curiously. I felt strangely bold - most likely because I was pretty sure that I was only dreaming - and inclined to ask and say whatever I pleased. _

_"Endangering isn't the same as killing." He looked annoyed and I felt a strange perverse sense of amusement at this. _

_"But what if you made a mistake? Remember when you had me standing at the edge of the school roof? What if something had upset my balance?" _

_Oh no, of course I'm not bitter. Not in the least. _

_"Please listen, Mazaki Anzu. This is of great importance." Shadi said, looking - to my amazement - quite impatient as he completely disregarded my question. "You and your friends' lives depend on your next actions according to how you react to the information I am about to give you." My urge to spurt another absurd question died on my tongue. _

_"What?" I squeaked. _

_"That man who cursed you is more dangerous than he seems. His primary objective is to kill you and the pharaoh. The only reason he has not done so already is because he wishes to see you both suffer first. Talking will not do any good because his mind and heart are forever bound in one time - when his pain and fury were at their peak during his death." _

"_He's already cursed me! Why won't he leave us alone now?" _

_"Understand this Mazaki Anzu. He derives pleasure and momentary respite from his unrelenting ill feelings, when you and the pharaoh suffer. The torment he is in will not end even if he has destroyed both of you and perhaps he realizes this in a subconscious way, but will not acknowledge it as anything but a weak doubt grown from years of awaiting the time for vengeance." _

_"W-what should I do then?" I asked. _

_"Consult the priests that are within reach in the present time." _

_"Priests? What do you mean-" _

_"You must find all the answers yourself Mazaki Anzu. Only then can you find the entire truth of your past life and thus what will save you and the pharaoh in this one." _

_"B-but- wait! Please! Why didn't you tell Yugi this, or one of the priests that are around? Why me? What could I possibly do?" Despair filled my voice. "I can't do anything! I'm just-" _

_He cut me off before I finished. "You are the only one who can do something. I wouldn't do anything as useless as ask one who is helpless." His usually cold eyes softened the slightest bit when he spoke again. "I advise you to act quickly. The curse you're under takes a little more of your life force each time it occurs. The seventh transformation you undergo will drain you completely and kill you. If that happens, then there will be little to keep the pharaoh from following you." _

_My eyes widened and my mind reeled with all the knowledge it had absorbed in the past few minutes. There was so much to think about and the prospect of dying terrified me, but it was the last sentence that confused me the most. I opened my mouth to ask what Shadi had meant, but before I could form the words, a terrific whirlwind filled the area. "Wait!" I shouted as loudly as I could to be heard over the winds. "What did you mean by-"_

* * *

"Anzu? Anzu! Are you okay?" A soft voice flitted choppily into my ear.

"Wha diy en byat..." I mumbled unintelligibly. My eyes fluttered open and I saw a flash of red. "Shuska?" I fumbled with her name. I sat up quickly and regretted the movement when my head spun. "Ahg..." My hand flew up to hold my head still as though it was the one spinning.

"Anzu! Don't move so quickly!" Shizuka pushed lightly against my shoulder. "You were passed out by the street. We were so worried!"

"We?" I murmured as I lay back down and surveyed my surroundings. It was a small room with soft blue leaf print wallpaper strips lining the tops and bottoms of the walls. It looked cute and cozy - something one would expect from a person like Shizuka. She was currently dressed in a knee-length, thin cotton and sleeveless yellow dress. In her hair was a pair of white butterfly hairpins.

"You're finally awake. Well I think I'll be the first to tell you that you're no lightweight." Mai's voice rang clearly though the room.

"Mai!?" I gasped. The woman was still as beautiful as ever. Even in casual clothes - a white tank top and jean shorts that fit snugly around her hips - she had a very confident and sophisticated look. Not a single golden hair was in the wrong place. I felt a rush of admiration and awe. If the lady ever has a bad hair day, or bad look day, I'm going to take a picture, just to prove that it's possible. "You're back!"

"I was here for a while." She said as a matter-of-factly. "Shizuka and I were having a girls' day out-"

"Oh, what am I doing?" Shizuka interrupted suddenly, looking embarrassed. "What a bad host I am!" Her cheeks were noticeably pink with what I presumed to be shame. Honestly, Jounouchi's sister is much too sensitive and overly polite sometimes... Hopefully her spending time with Mai would help her overcome that bashful personality. Not that I wanted her to change a lot...just become more assertive. She grinned sheepishly, looking for a moment, startlingly like her brother. "I'll get some tea ready for us!" She hurriedly left the room.

Mai continued her story as if nothing had happened. "Shizuka saw a crowd and investigated it out of curiosity. We found you unconscious on the sidewalk as a result."

"Thanks Mai, really." I sighed gratefully.

'_Consult the priests that are within reach in the present time.'_ My mood dampened as Shadi's words came back to me, full force. It would have been nice to just stay where I was and not think about the huge responsibility I'd been given just recently, but I couldn't.

_The curse you're under takes a little more of your life force each time it occurs. The seventh transformation you undergo will drain you completely and kill you. If that happens, then there will be little to keep the pharaoh from following you." _

What had Shadi meant by that last phrase? That Yami would die if I died? Why? It didn't seem to make sense for him to just die if I did. Regardless, I can't just lie here and do nothing – not with all the things I suddenly have to do. I sat up determinedly.

"What are you, a blow-up punching clown? Stay down you dummy!" Mai pushed at my shoulder but I resisted this time.

"Tell Shizuka it was nice to see her again, oh- and that her new apartment looks really cute." I said softly.

"What's your problem?" Mai frowned at me, that stern 'big sister' look coming over her face. "Why are you talking like it's the end for you or something?"

"I'm not!" I said, trying to sound as bratty as possible to lighten the atmosphere. "Besides, I feel fine and there's no reason for me to just loll about uselessly while I can move." I smiled the best I could, the many tumultuous feelings in my chest battling for dominance both tearing down and reinforcing my willpower to keep the facade. Her expression still didn't change and I shook my head. "Sorry Mai... but I really have to go. It's too important to wait." I pulled the blanket off my legs and stood up slowly in case another dizzy spell hit me. "I'll meet up with you later when I have time, okay?"

"Wait a moment. I'll give you a ride." She grabbed my shoulder firmly to keep me from leaving. I could tell from her dead set expression that she wouldn't take no for an answer. I inwardly panicked. I didn't want to drag even more people into my current dilemma... "I'm not letting you walk alone. It's getting dark anyway." She said. "No one should be walking by themselves at this time."

"Okay." I relented. Mai smiled approvingly at me.

"Let me just tell Shizuka where we're going and we'll leave." She turned in the direction Shizuka had gone, presumably where the kitchen was. "Shizuka? Anzu's leaving now. I'm going to give her a ride." A bob of red hair popped from the doorway of the kitchen.

"Oh- already? Why?"

"I have something... really important to do." I said.

"Okay, then let me go too." Shizuka said. "We can talk a little in the car at least while we drive."

Noooo! It's bad enough that I've put Mai at risk!

"...Sure." I said weakly. "You and Mai can say hi to Jounouchi when we get to the shop."

Damn it!

* * *

**To be continued! **


	6. Whaaa?

**06 : Whaaa?**

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP **

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
X_X The winter holidays finally began...two weeks ago...and are now ending... **

**Otogi = Duke Devlin**

* * *

_"Okay, then let me go too." Shizuka said. "We can talk a little in the car at least while we drive." _

_Nooo! It's bad enough that I've put Mai at risk!_

_"...Sure." I said weakly. "You and Mai can say hi to Jounouchi when we get to the shop." _

_Damn it!_

* * *

"So how is everyone?" Mai asked conversationally after Shizuka and I had gotten into her stylish car and done our seatbelts. She started up the engine.

Well Mai, I happen to be cursed and may die as a result, while everyone else's lives are just in mortal danger. The usual, the usual.

"Good." I said casually. What would happen when we got there? Would everyone be mad at me for acting so immaturely and running off? Would they try and talk about...well, what happened? And what about Yami? Would he talk to me at all? What could I say to him?

"I can't wait to see everyone! It's been a while!" Shizuka sighed.

"It has, hasn't it?" I said, thankful for a reason to deviate from my most depressing thoughts.

Shizuka had just moved into Domino City a week ago and was currently living by herself - as far as I know - in her own apartment. So far, only Jounouchi, Honda and I know where she lives. The only reason Honda knows is because he'd tagged along with Jounouchi when he'd heard him mention Shizuka's name as he went out to pick her up from the airport before, or so I heard from Jounouchi while he was ranting about it.

"How's Jounouchi anyway?" Mai asked me, in a quieter tone.

"Jounouchi?" I also used a more hushed tone. We both knew Shizuka could probably hear us just fine, but the issue probably called for a more sensitive voice volume. "Well, he's...he's doing fine."

"I see." She said, sounding more than a little guilty. I winced. I guess the way I'd said 'fine' hadn't been done in the most convincingly cheerful tone.

"No really!" I butt in before Mai could really start wallowing in her guilt. "He's fine! In fact... give him a week...or a year-" I quickly added when I saw a small tick of annoyance enter her face, "and I think he'll be ready to, uhh, like other people." I used the word 'like' as I was sure Mai and Jounouchi hadn't actually ever gone out.

"That's...great." Mai was frowning now and I racked my brain for something to say about Jounouchi's feelings that didn't sound utterly insulting.

"But it's not like he's jumping for joy right now... he's still kinda down, but not too down!" I could almost hear myself sticking a shovel into the ground where my grave would be.

"We're here!" Shizuka's voice chimed in before I could continue shoving my foot down my throat. She pointed at Yugi's game shop, which stood a few meters away. She squinted. "And it looks like Honda and Otogi are there too!" The atmosphere lightened almost instantaneously.

"Hopefully those morons can keep their paws off you long enough to say hi first." Mai said snidely as she parked the car nearby the shop.

"They're just being friendly." Shizuka said brightly as she got out. "I don't think they really mean anything by it."

I sighed as we approached the front door. Like brother, like sister, right? Both were equally clueless when it came to love and attraction...wait a minute...Otogi is there too? Why? Is it because I'd run off and everyone had asked him to help them to look for me? Or maybe they'd told him about my-

"Anzu!" My heart stopped when a body collided with mine. A pair of arms wound firmly around my middle. "You're okay!"

"Y-yugi..." I choked out, hoping I wouldn't suffer a stroke right then and there, not when something so good was happening. My cheeks burned furiously and I could feel warmth igniting my entire body. "I-I-" I stuttered, at a loss for words.

"Please don't run off like that again!" His arms tightened around me until I could feel every inch of him pressed close to me. My face heated up even more and I felt faint. "I thought something terrible had happened to you-"

"Yugi..." My eyelids began to lower without my consent and I could feel my body slowly melt against his. He was holding me so close that I-

"Ahem... I hate to interrupt you two... but what's going on here!?" Mai's voice none too gently destroyed the moment.

Yugi and I jumped away from each other as if we'd been burned.

Oh Mai. If you weren't my friend, I'd-

* * *

"So you're under a curse which turns you into whatever duel monster card you touch."

"Pretty much... but I touched a few other ones before the Harpy Lady one, so I think it's only the female ones that work." I said.

We were all gathered around the front counter of the shop - well most of us anyway. Mai was standing a little off to the side, looking sceptically at me and glaring at Otogi and Honda, both of who were at the left of the counter, fretting and mooning over Shizuka. Jounouchi stood a little ways away from Mai, sending frequent glances at her one in a while and shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Evidently he still hadn`t recovered from the rejection. Yugi and I stood at the right area of the counter, well away from the zone of discomfort the group had created. Not that it was much better where we were standing. For some reason, it was as if a wall had formed between us. A great big wall of awkward. Each time we breached it by moving too close or trying to say something to each other, the wall would put a sudden stop to the action and put us back where we started. Not talking or touching.

But the problem is really between _Yami_ and I, isn't it!? Not my best friend and I! Yugi and Yami are not the same person! I even have different ways to refer to each one! I realized that like it or not, if I had a problem with one of them, it would inevitably end up involving the other one by default.

"Why didn't you tell us this before Anzu?" Shizuka asked looking deeply saddened and somehow graceful despite the fact she had two guys hanging off her.

"She didn't want to worry your pretty little head with such things... She told me about it and I did my best to comfort her in her time of need." Honda said laying the sappiness on thick while holding one of her hands closely to his chest. He couldn't grab the other one as Otogi had a hold of it and was clutching it just as possessively. I tried not to gag.

"You bastards! Get off her!" Jounouchi's brotherly instincts finally kicked into gear when he dragged his attention from Mai for a moment to check on Shizuka.

"Morons." I heard Mai murmur under her breath as Jounouchi snatched the two's collars and dragged them away. She sighed. "Anzu. You sure that all this isn't just... some big hologram created by that guy? Maybe he's messing with your heads somehow."

"I don't think so. I know a lot of the stranger things that have happened usually happen in our minds or in virtual worlds, or with the help of virtual technology... but I think this is actually real."

Mai shook her head. "This is just too much." She sighed, massaging the skin between her eyes. "Okay. Fine. Suppose I decide to go along with this... Can't you give me any proof of this?"

"Sure," Jounouchi piped up, more cheerful now that he'd carried out his brotherly duties and kept his sister safe from her suitors. He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out some duel monster cards. "We'll just get Anzu to-"

* * *

_The curse you're under takes a little more of your life force each time it occurs. The seventh transformation you undergo will drain you completely and kill you._

* * *

"Er, how about later." I said shaking my head and waving my hands dismissively. I tried not to look too panicked as I said this. "There's something important I have to tell you guys."

"What is it?" Yugi asked me, making some progress against The Wall.

"I talked with Shadi."

"What?" Yugi's forehead was creased with a few stress lines, plainly showing his apprehension. "When? What did he say?" His frown deepened. "Are you okay?"

"Um... just a few hours ago." I said vaguely, not wanting him to know that I'd fallen unconscious while running from the shop. "He didn't say much, just-"

"Was he the one who knocked you out?" Shizuka yelped, eyes wide.

"What!?" All eyes were on me now, much to my discomfort.

"Wait, wait, it wasn't like that-" I tried to say.

"Well then Anzu, why don't you explain the _real_ reason why you were passed out on the street when Shizuka and I found you?" Mai said, looking at me levelly. She cornered me! Just like that! Despite my horror, I felt a rush of admiration for her. Mai's so shrewd. It's no wonder she keeps doing so well in all the duel monster tournaments she competes in.

"I was a little tired. That's all." I squeaked under the pressure all the inquisitive eyes were putting on me.

"Anzu." Yugi's head was bowed a little, as if tipping under the weight of guilt. "It was because of what happened with the other me, wasn't it? He didn't-"

"Not-at-all!!!" My voice was embarrassingly high now and in my hurry to reassure Yugi, I'd run my words together. I coughed uncomfortably. "Anyway, that's not what we have to concentrate on... Shadi told me-" I paused for a moment, running his words through my head. They weren't really joy inspiring ones. "He said that guy we saw earlier really wants to kill Yam-I mean, the other Yugi and I." I said, remembering that no one else had been told about the other Yugi's temporary name until we found his real one. "So much that he'll do anything to make sure he succeeds...that isn't the end of it though." I said grimly, taking in everyone's apprehensive faces. "He doesn't want to kill us right away though. He wants to hurt us first. Shadi said...that man will probably come after you guys, because you're close to Yugi and I."

"...So what are you saying we should do?" Mai asked, displeasure written all over her face. "In fact, what can we do against a man like that?"

"Our only chance to stop this guy is to find the people who used to be priests during the time the other Yugi was pharaoh." I shook my head. "Other than that, I don't know."

"That's all? That's not much..." Mai murmured.

"We'll just have to do our best with that. At least it's something." Yugi said decisively. "Maybe... Maybe the other me will be able to recognize a priest if he sees one. Otherwise, we'll have to contact Isis somehow, since she's our best lead to one."

"Nn." The overall feeling in the room was a damp one that seemed to suck the energy out of everyone. There wasn't really much to be happy about though - even I couldn't think of anything that would lighten up the situation.

It wasn't long before Jounouchi decided that he didn't like the dreary atmosphere and wouldn't stand for it. "Well what are we waiting for then, damn it!?" He demanded, standing up a little straighter with his chest puffed out proudly. I cracked a smile in spite of myself.

"You got a plan?"

He faltered slightly, but recovered within a second. "Well, we'll just think of something along the way, just like we always do! It'll work out! We're invincible!"

"Uh huh. You haven't changed in the least since I last met you." Mai said dryly. A few grins were cracked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jounouchi yelped indignantly, turning to her. "I have a point anyway, don't I?"

"Big brother...?" Shizuka intervened. The soft interruption didn't do much.

"If our lives are in danger, then we have to do something quick!" Jounouchi continued. "Just a minute Shizuka-"

"I wanted to tell you earlier... but I think this is probably the best time for me to say it after all."

"So we can be ready before that guy strikes!"

"I'm dating Mai."

"And we-" Jounouchi stopped. Slowly, his head turned so he was looking straight at Shizuka. It might have just been me, but I think I heard his neck creak. "W-w-" His mouth moved after that, but no sound came out. Everyone was eerily silent - a pin falling would have sounded like a mallet hitting the floor in here.

Otogi and Honda looked horrified.

"Shizuka!?" They exclaimed together.

Mai on the other hand, looked quite smug. "That's right, so you two had better keep your paws off Shizuka from now on."

"Mai..." Jounouchi choked. "You and...my cute little sister... Was that why you- But Shizuka is- That means that you- That means that she- I thought-"

The poor guy looked about two seconds away from having a seizure because of all the revelations hitting him so hard so fast. I wasn't too far from doing the same.

Seriously though! Mai and Shizuka, _together!?_

It's almost bigger news than the whole 'lives being endangered by a something-thousand year old psycho' thing!

...

What am I saying? It IS bigger than that!

* * *

**To be continued! **


	7. Drama

**07 : Drama**

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP  
**

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
****What can I say? I think Mai x Shizuka is an adorable couple. Spicy and sweet~**

* * *

_Seriously though! Mai and Shizuka, __**TOGETHER!?**_

_It's almost bigger news than the whole 'lives being endangered by a something-thousand year old psycho' thing! _

_... _

_What am I saying? It IS bigger than that!_

* * *

"I can't believe it... I lost to a woman..." Honda said slowly, sounding dramatically defeated.

"I don't see why you're surprised. I bet it happens all the time." Otogi teased. I couldn't help but smile. He was obviously hurting a bit from Shizuka's big confession as well and trying to alleviate the pain both he and Honda felt by trading light banter. Otogi had come a long way from his bitter, revenge-seeking, Jounouchi-humiliating self. Ya... about that. Was it just me, or had Otogi taken a little **too** much pleasure in torturing Jounouchi? Hadn't he been hell-bent on bringing Yugi down at the time? The question of Otogi's sexuality has been plaguing me for a while now. The guy has tons of girls at his beck and call and shamelessly flaunts his popularity with females. I always get the impression that he's trying to prove something with all that though... you know, trying a little too hard to cover something up?

But that's just my opinion.

Anyway, it's not like it's a rare occurrence - that Jounouchi gets tortured that is. It's like the poor guy has a big red target on him and neon lights in the shape of an arrow that has the words 'HARASS ME' on it pointing at him.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Otogi continued, giving Mai a strange look. It disappeared quickly though and he sighed theatrically, leaning his forehead into the palm of his hand. "At least it was to a great opponent I lost to and not..." He looked at Honda, meaning clear.

Honda smiled - the type that I quickly recognized as his 'I'm happy-ly going to go kill someone right now. Good day.' He hooked his arm around Otogi's neck and his grin became even more strained. I could see the beginnings of a psychotic grin working its way onto his face. "Why don't we go outside for a moment buddy?" He asked through tightly clenched teeth.

"After you friend." And the two were out the door before anyone could say otherwise. Not that anyone really tried.

"Mai...You and my sister... for how long?" Jounouchi croaked, barely getting his voice to start working again. Shizuka looked shy all of a sudden.

"It's been going on um...for a month now big brother." She said softly, looking down and blushing. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but Mai told me that you were sad when she um... said she told you she didn't return your feelings."

"So that's why she didn't..." The poor blond was floored by the news.

Yugi and I just stood at the side, not sure what else to do. We were literally smack dab in the middle of some sort of twisted soap opera, only without the whole hetero-only restriction. Here was Jounouchi, a guy that had been subtly vying for Mai's affection, unknowing of the fact that Shizuka had also been going after the same lady. It was Shizuka who got the girl though, since said girl's tastes are of the feminine persuasion. To sum it up, in just one day, Jounouchi found out that his crush and his sister are both lesbians and that they're together.

Mind-blowing, is what it is.

"Why don't we leave them alone for a while to sort out their feelings?" I heard Yugi's voice in my ear and nodded my assent.

"Good idea." To my surprise, when I headed for the doors that lead outside, Yugi took my arm in a firm grip that was uncharacteristic for him and pulled me in the direction of the back room where the stock was kept.

"This way. Honda and Otogi might still be fighting."

"O-Okay." I said unsurely as we went down a short flight of stairs. I wanted to say that it would have been quite easy just to side step the two, or maybe with any luck pull them apart before they killed each other, but his hand on my arm had distracted. The way Yugi had spoke made his comment sound like an excuse for something else on his mind. I was pulled after him into the darkened room and shivered a little as the door fell shut behind us cutting off the light flooding in from the shop's main front room. He let go of me then and I reached for the light switches on the wall near the stairs and sighed with relief when the lights came on.

"Anzu." I froze. My eyes dropped to the floor and my insides began to squirm.

"Yami." I turned around slowly, mustering up as much courage as I could find to fuel the strength for my voice. It unfortunately didn't give me the backbone to, for first time in a while, look straight into his eyes. My gaze settled comfortably at his mouth. "Did Yugi call you out?" I asked softly, holding tightly onto my nerve.

"No. I asked him." He took a step closer. "I-"

"It's okay." I interrupted softly. I paused, wondering what I could possibly say to make the situation less awkward. "I think it's safe to say that that guy was probably just trying to hurt me. It was pretty stupid of me to run off like that, huh? We've been friends for so long and I still didn't believe in you... Anyway...You're not the same guy you were before." I said lamely. I tried to think of something smarter to say. My mind drew a blank.

"I don't think so." He said quietly.

"What?" My eyes widened and something lurched terribly inside my chest. Then... was it true...? About me-?

"I don't give too much thought about those I don't really care for. If I can, I'll save anyone in trouble, but if I think it's necessary, I'll sacrifice others if it means saving someone that I care for."

I frowned. "No, that's not-"

"It's the truth." Yami looked to the side grimly. "I'm not pure like Yugi. If there's a sacrifice that has to be made to achieve something greater, I'll make it. It was the same thing, the time I duelled Kaiba during Pegasus' tournament. I considered Kaiba nothing but a hindrance to Grandfather's rescue and I was willing to kill him to get him out of the way. It was only because you and Yugi pleaded for his life that I didn't." He turned back to look at me. "I haven't changed too much."

"W-why are you telling me this?" I whispered. My mind was reeling from what Yami had just told me and the frightening thing was that I couldn't disagree with him. A part of me had always known there was a darker side to Yami that I overlooked just because I didn't want to see it.

"Because... I don't think you're worthless." He stepped even closer. "Anzu." Trembling, I looked up and his eyes bore into mine. "You're someone I would sacrifice for."

I stopped breathing all together and my head spun from the admission.

My lips parted, but no sound came out.

He continued to look at me, only at me, as if nothing else existed and for a moment, I forgot about everything that wasn't Yami.

My heart fluttered and of its own accord, my hand rose, hovering just above his cheek.

"Anzu?" Purple eyes looked questioningly at me and I gasped as the realization of where my hand was sent the blood spiking to my face. I yanked my hand back, holding it in a death-hold, as if it were a rabid rat.

"Aha! Hahahaha!" I laughed a little too loudly. "S-something on your face! I thought I saw something on your face!" I laughed lamely again, sounding akin to a hiccupping donkey.

When I get the time, I'll ask Mai how to keep the sex appeal up even in times of distress.

"Hey you guys!" A cheerful voice called as the door swung open. I choked on my tongue, still in mid forced-laughter, as I leaped back and began coughing violently. A hand was at my back, pounding it 'helpfully.' "Oops. Sorry." Honda said, rubbing my back after the abuse it had taken from his slapping.

"Thanks." I said, glaring at him. Yami stood a little ways away, looking a bit scared. Honda grinned at him.

"No worries Yugi! Anzu may look like she'll break if you just blow at her, but she's actually pretty tough. Must be from hanging around us guys all the time."

"So, why are you here?" I asked. "You and Otogi already settle things?"

"Ya, I totally kicked his ass."

"Uh huh. So neither of you two could overpower the other and ended up calling it a draw?" I asked dryly.

"Everyone's a little bit calmer now so you two can come back and we can talk about what to do about the psycho." Honda not so subtly avoided commenting on my inference on what had actually happened between Otogi and him.

"Sure." I nodded. He walked out. I sighed and looked back at Yami out of the corner of my eyes cautiously. He gestured to the door.

"Let's go."

"Nm." I found myself blushing again. It's a good thing Honda had come just at that moment. It's too bad he didn't come a little earlier! What if Yami knew that I- I blushed. Yami had given me a...er friend confession and I'd almost blown it by taking it the wrong way. I'd almost...done something that crossed the line between friend and...something more - definitely a way to send off a friend screaming for cover...or in Yami's case, fearfully just move on to the afterlife, with or without past memories.

_"Where are you going?"_

"Hn?" I looked at Yami questioningly. He gave me a strange look.

"Anzu?"

"You didn't... say anything just now?" I frowned. He shook his head.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-ya... just fine." I smiled brightly as we finished climbing the stairs to the main floor.

_"Come away from there! We're late!"_

I blinked. I had been looking straight at Yami this time and his mouth hadn't moved at all.

_"Stop loitering and come here right this instant!"_ The voice came sharply to my ears now and my feet tingled with the irresistible urge to obey the voice.

"You go ahead. I need to... check something..." I said absently, already heading to the source of the voice. I walked around Mai, Shizuka and Jounouchi who seemed relatively calmer than they had been earlier.

"Where are you going?" I heard Mai ask.

"Just outside for a bit." I said as I walked out the front door. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon..."

"Finally!" A stout woman, dressed in a white linen dress, with a small but colourful and elaborately decorated collar, that had a just as fancy hem at the bottom end of the skirt, glared at me.

"I-I'm sorry, I-" I stuttered nervously, a little unsure as to why I was suddenly seized with an almost hysteric fear by the woman's disapproval. Then I remembered - without this job, I would be back in the street, begging for scraps once more. It was only by luck that I had noticed the line of people designated as slaves working in the pharaoh's palace and managed to sneak in all those years ago. "It won't happen again, please don't dismiss me!"

"Humph, you're just a no-name slave. Idiots like you who can't even answer to a master's call are not needed." She waved a meaty hand at me. "Get out of my sight, otherwise I'll have the guards escort you out and beat you as well! You're lucky I don't just send you off to be killed for idleness!"

"Please, I-" I called out desperately.

The woman only shook her head and waddled away without answering.

Hot tears moistened my eyes and I, feeling ashamed of them and my predicament, quickly wiped them away with the back of my hand. I sniffled briefly before hissing furiously at myself. Why hadn't I been paying attention in the first place!? What a fool I was- to be expelled in such a way! The disgrace of it burned my cheeks the same way I knew my stomach and feet would later when I would be back on the street, starving and standing outside in the hot sun for long hours begging for money, food - anything to stay alive.

It was too much and I knew I couldn't go back to the conditions I'd endured for the most part of my life before I'd entered the life of a slave. I shuddered. There was only one option left for me now.

Looking around to make sure the mistress of this sect of the palace wasn't around, I quickly ran into the nearest door leading into the palace. Being cautious, I quickly made my way up the stairs, careful not to look guilty or like I was up to something whenever I passed any other slaves working inside. Finally at the upper floor, I walked to the nearest room I knew would be unoccupied and had a balcony. Since I had been a slave at this area of the palace for quite a long time, no one thought of my entering the room as suspicious. They most likely assumed I was going in to clean it up.

I shut the doors and quickly ran to the balcony, shoving the heavy curtains out of my way as I ran. I paused just as I reached the railings enclosing the balcony, but remembering the alternative to what I was about to do, my resolve returned and I climbed up so I was standing on the railing. I made the mistake of looking down. "Oh gods!" A wave of queasiness hit my stomach. How horribly high it was! It's not necessarily a bad thing, I realized, as a quick death may be ensured this way. I stood where I was, staring blankly at the ground. All I had to do was step out into nothing and let myself fall. My stomach quivered at the thought of me hitting the ground. Would I resemble a squashed fruit, with the pulp splattered in all directions and juices oozing out from it? I swallowed hard.

"Girl! Get down from there!" The furious voice cut through me and my feet wiggled out of surprise.

I teetered precariously upon the ledge of the balcony I had climbed onto, but quickly regained my balance. I took a deep breath before looking back to address the owner of the voice that had interrupted my thoughts. I nearly fell off the ledge once more when I identified the man. It was the pharaoh's priest and one of his most trusted advisors... Lord Seto!

"My lord, please forgive me for not heeding your orders immediately. I will without protest, but please spare me but a minute to do so, so I may cross over to the afterlife with no regrets to weigh down my heart." I said mournfully.

There was a pause - one I presumed was a period of time the priest took to consider what I had just said. It didn't take him long however, to decide on a reply.

"You're still quite young. Why not live for now and find out if your life improves in the future?" He asked gently this time.

"Forgive me for my impertinence, but I can only see misery in my future." I shut my eyes and let all of my weight go forward.

A bark of surprise was the only sound in the courtyard as I fell from the ledge, the wind picking up and ruffling my thin linen dress. A second later, another sound reached my ears, which were already filled with the noise of wind. "Dios!"

My eyes flew open in shock when suddenly I was no longer falling - but floating down gently in the arms of- "A guardian spirit?" I whispered, flabbergasted.

"Perhaps." Lord Seto looked amused as I was passed from its arms to his. "Thank you Dios." He referred to his guardian spirit, which seemed to be a servant to him. It disappeared promptly after his thanks. He looked at me perplexedly. "Now, tell me-"

"-How is it that your stupidity seems to know no bounds. It's as if you've absorbed some idiocy from that loser dog." I blinked rapidly and found myself, instead of staring at a richly robed and gold-adorned man, at one that had enough money to swim in and more. This Seto however, chose to go around dressed in a peculiar white trench coat most of the time. That is, if he wasn't wearing his plain blue coat in order to avoid attracting unwanted attention while walking through the streets.

"W-what happened?" I tried to move, but found it strangely difficult to do so.

"Are you telling me, that you don't remember blabbering in some unintelligible language and trying to throw yourself off a street bridge? He questioned dryly, looking at me like a fly that had hit the windshield of one of his favourite cars. I guess I might have been had Kaiba not been around to stop me.

"Wait...street bridge? Where am I!?"

"Look around Mazaki."

I did so and my mouth fell open at what I saw. I was in the middle of a street, built as a bridge over a two-way road below.

"I- How- When-" I squeaked, mouth opening and closing like a silently gasping fish out of water.

"Isono, call the ambulance, I think she's going into shock." I dimly heard Kaiba say to a man nearby I hadn't noticed earlier.

Okay Anzu, slowly. I took a few deep breaths. I had a lot to think about:  
1) I found one of the priests that worked for Yami when he was pharaoh! It's Kaiba!  
2) I just had a vision, don't know why and don't know if it'll happen again.  
3) How many people saw me while I was acting like some crazy lady about to commit suicide!?

* * *

**To be continued! **


	8. Just When Things Were Looking Up

**08 : Just When Things Were Looking Up...**

**By: Kokoro Kakera HP **

**Disclaimer: Yugiou, (Manga, anime, products, etc.), belongs to Kazuki Takahashi**

**Author's Notes:  
Hello! It's literally been years since I last posted. I am so sorry. It's been so long, I think my writing style might have changed a bit too. I'm hoping it'll **_**enrich**_** the story (though there's a chance it'll also be like getting doused by a bucket of ice water in the morning)...**

Also revised some sections and fixed some grammatical errors. In truth, this fanfic would probably benefit from a huge overhaul, but my main objective at the moment is to finish it, since it would be quite sad to leave it high and dry just when things are getting interesting. 

**And I miss being an uninhibited spaz while writing. Essays require so much restraint… **

* * *

_Okay Anzu, slowly. I took a few deep breaths. I had a lot to think about:  
1) I found one of the priests that worked for Yami when he was pharaoh! It's Kaiba!  
2) I just had a vision, don't know why and don't know if it'll happen again.  
3) How many people saw me while I was acting like some crazy lady about to commit suicide!? _

* * *

"Uhm... Kaiba? Where... exactly is this car going?" I said, having looked out the window and noticed it didn't look like it was going anywhere near Yugi's game shop.

He gave me a weird look. "To the hospital of course."

"Oh." I choked when the word finally processed. "-Wait...what?" I mean, I _know_ I was about to jump off a bridge, but that wasn't even me! ...Okay, it sounds crazy even to me, which sucks because it's actually true.

"You were about to jump off a bridge. That sounds like a good reason to take someone to a hospital. In my opinion, this car should be headed to a different kind of hospital, but I don't think your friends would appreciate the gesture very much."

"If only he could crawl under a rug and die..." I growled under my breath. I pasted on a fake smile - I'm sure he knew it was too; I could feel my facial muscles tremble with the exertion. "Kaiba. I'm fine. Now _please_ turn this car around and drop me off at Yugi's house. If you don't want to give me a ride, dropping me off nearby is fine."

"Yugi can't help you with everything you know. You might as well see a doctor about that obsession along with your suicidal tendencies."

"Shut up jerk!" I snapped. "It isn't like that! I have to tell him something really important! Something that...has to do with Egypt..." I said slowly, hoping he'd get that it was one of THOSE times.

He stared at me for a full minute, before rolling his eyes and for a moment I was sure he would just ignore me and allow his driver to take the car to the hospital. Before I could fully develop a daring escape plan (this may have entailed actually opening the door and leaping from the limo, hopefully while it was at a standstill), Kaiba sighed and pressed a button located on the glass wall separating our seats from the driver's.

"Turn the car around Isona. Head for Mouto's game shop instead."

"Yes sir."

Kaiba turned from the microphone and looked at me disdainfully. That wasn't unusual, so I simply glared back. "Not that I don't realize I'll regret asking, but why were you trying to end your life Mazaki?"

"I wasn't!" I snapped. "I wasn't even... conscious."

"So you're suffering from a suicidal sleep walking disorder?" He asked in a way that made it clear he thought I was out of my mind.

I took a deep breath. Told myself killing Kaiba wasn't worth it. Reminded myself that I COULDN'T kill Kaiba because besides going to jail for the rest of my life, I would also have destroyed a clue to Yami's and my past.

Speaking of the past, I find it quite bizarre how such a nice man like the Priest Seto could have been reborn into the uptight ass that is Seto Kaiba. Well, to be fair I honestly believe he must inwardly be a nice guy and show it only to those he cares about. After all, Mokuba wouldn't be the nice kid he is if Kaiba always acted like a heartless creep.

"I'm not. It's complicated." I said flatly, and I left it at that because I needed him in a good enough mood to walk into Yugi's shop with me. Thankfully, Kaiba didn't comment on my weak retort. In fact, he was going that extra mile and not saying anything...at all. Which of course made me somewhat uncomfortable.

"How's Mokuba?" I asked out of the blue in the stifling silence.

"He's fine."

"Oh. That's good. How's the job going?"

"Does this conversation have a point to it?" Translation: _Shut up, now._ Or that's what his tone of voice seemed to say anyway. I guess my attempts at making small talk with him HAD been pretty lame...

Well, not talking is fine. I can bear a silence if it's preferred over conversation.

* * *

"Hey a limo!" I heard a familiar voice announce outside of the car.

"We've arrived sir." Isona's voice came in from the speaker.

"Good." Kaiba paused, looking as though he were contemplating something. Something that might have been a smile appeared on his face- I wasn't too sure from the angle and the fact that the guy beside me was _the Seto Kaiba_, which argued against the probability of him even having the physiological capabilities required for smiling.

Or maybe it was because a certain Jounouchi Katsuya was on the premises.

Maybe I should stop assuming things about those two... I mean true, they _do_ expend an abnormal amount of energy on each other and argue like a married couple... but until I get some conclusive proof, I should probably keep my ideas about them to a minimum. For all I know Kaiba could be smiling because he just thought of Mokuba. Or maybe he daydreamed about finally beating Yugi in a duel. In which case, I should let him entertain his fantasies because it's never going to happen.

"Kaiba!" Jounouchi called out curiously. "What are you doing here?" As he spoke, the others walked out from the game shop to see what was happening.

Kaiba stared at him down his nose in response. Jounouchi bristled at the look and invaded Kaiba's personal space in an attempt to intimidate him. If there's one thing (out of the many things about Kaiba) Jounouchi can't stand, it's the fact that Kaiba is slightly taller than him. It's not even a huge difference, but that one centimetre is apparently just enough to make Kaiba feel all that more superior than Jounouchi. And worse, Jounouchi actually _acknowledges_ this as a sign of superiority. Men!

Personally I don't see anything wrong with having a guy that you can look eye to eye with. It would certainly remove the threat of neck strain if I didn't have to throw my head back as I stood on my toes in order to kiss my boyfriend. I might be a little biased though. I wonder how a kiss would go down between Jounouchi and Kaiba?

"Get out of my face." Kaiba growled. Yeah, that sounds about right.

"What's your problem with me anyway?" Jounouchi asked. "Are you still bitter about the other day? Cause if you are-"

"Right now, it's your face. And I'm breathing the air you're expelling." He shoved him back. "I know dogs don't know much about personal space, but I thought you were a little better trained than that."

"Thank you for giving me a ride back here." I said, quickly stepping in between them in an attempt to diffuse the increasingly ugly situation. And what had Jounouchi meant by Kaiba being 'bitter about the other day'? I'm going to have to do a little investigation later... "It was nice of you." The two backed down from each other.

"I was heading this way already." Kaiba said. "I wasn't going out of my way."

"Anzu!" Yugi jogged to where I was standing. Yami must have gone back into the puzzle. "Where did you go?"

"I'll tell you later." I said tiredly. It would be better if he were sitting down while I told him I almost jumped off a bridge, but at the last second was prevented from becoming either windshield debris or roadkill. "Kaiba gave me a ride back though. He said he wanted to see you."

Yugi looked at Kaiba curiously. "You do?"

Kaiba seemed to look embarrassed then. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a duel monster card. I backed away cautiously "This."

"A blue eyes white dragon?" Jounouchi gasped. I sighed and relaxed. Only the female cards affected me.

Kaiba held it out to Yugi. "Considering all you've done for Mokuba...it's the least I can do. I ripped up yours. It's only fair that this goes to you." I'll say. Mokuba would be _dead_ right now if it weren't for Yugi.

"...Woah." Yugi said, evidently speechless by the uncharacteristically gracious move on Kaiba's part. I think everyone else felt the same, judging by the way it had suddenly gone deathly silently in the room. Honda's jaw had hit the floor and he had yet to pick it up. Jounouchi on the other hand looked like he was about three seconds away from having an aneurism.

Kaiba rolled his eyes when Yugi didn't move to take the card and shoved it into my hand. "Here Mazaki, _you_ can give it to your boyfriend when he wakes up."

I blushed and glared at him as I took the card. I refrained from retorting that Yugi wasn't my boyfriend, knowing I would just sound immature. And a little too regretful.

"Are you...sure about this?" Yugi finally spoke up, having recovered from his shock.

"Of course I am." Kaiba said coolly. "Otherwise I wouldn't have come here at all."

"Hey Kaiba, you're not a complete dick after all!" Jounouchi called out, grinning cheekily.

"Pity I can't say the same for you." Kaiba said. We all snickered as Jounouchi fumed.

"Come on you guys…" Yugi raised his arms to prevent a fight from breaking out.

I smiled a little at the sight and moved forward to help. A wave of nausea passed through me, stopping me in mid step. My eyes widened. "Oh no-" I gave a cry as my stomach suddenly gave a violent lurch. It couldn't be-

"Anzu!" I heard Yugi cry out. I shook my head and with my eyes watering, stumbled for the washrooms which would lead to a more secluded area outside. I had to get out before I completely changed, otherwise I would destroy the entire game shop.

I heard the others follow me. Someone put a hand on me shoulder and I slapped it away. "Stay back!" I snarled. I gave a cry of pain as my joints seemed to pull apart. I stumbled out through the hole in the bathroom wall I had made the day before as a harpy and sunk to my knees on the dirt. Throwing back my head I let out a roar as my body stretched and grew.

"Oh shi-"Jounouchi choked.

When the pain finally eased away, I opened my eyes. I saw blue scales and wickedly long claws where my arms and fingers should have been. I glanced at where the others had gathered. Everyone's eyes seemed to be twice the size they usually were as they looked up at me.

"I believe you now." Mai said in a small voice. Shizuka was huddled tightly beside her, squeezing her arm fearfully.

I sighed, inadvertently releasing a stream of blue fire and incinerating an innocent tree. Inwardly I winced. This was the second time I'd caused property damage to Yugi's place. At this rate I'm going to be banned from ever coming here again...

But in my defence, who would have guessed that the Blue Eyes White Dragon is a _girl_?

* * *

**To be continued! **


End file.
